To maximize the toasty hazelnut flavor that makes these waffles special, make the batter no more than 2 hours in advance and cook the waffles just before sitting down to eat. To keep the first batches warm while you finish cooking the last of the batter, spread (rather than stacking) the waffles directly on a rack in a 200°F oven. Or, bring the waffle maker right to the table and cook them to order.

With a rotary grater, finely grind the hazelnuts. (Or process them with 2 Tbs. of the flour in a food processor until finely ground.) In a large bowl, whisk the ground hazelnuts, all-purpose and cake flours, baking powder, baking soda, and table salt until well combined. In another bowl, whisk the buttermilk, oil, eggs, sugar and vanilla until well combined. With a very open whisk or a rubber spatula, lightly stir the wet ingredients into the dry until just combined (small lumps in the batter are fine). Let the batter rest for at least 20 minutes (and up to 2 hours in the refrigerator). Cook the waffles according to your waffle iron manufacturer's instructions. In a Belgian waffle maker, the waffles have a tender interior; in a standard waffle maker, they'll be crisper.

user reviews

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by CsRed, 8/24/2013These waffles are awesome! A few extra steps to roast and grind the haslenuts but so worth it.

by Zhenya, 1/1/2013Very delicious waffles - my husband and I loved them! We usually make waffles on New Years Day and this is now our favorite recipe. I modified the recipe a bit as I did not have cake flour on hand. Instead of cake flour I used almond meal. I also omitted baking soda. My waffle maker is pretty big so we got 8 waffles out of this recipe instead of 12. Very yummy! Try it, you won't regret.

by butta211, 9/1/2012Pretty sure this is the best homemade waffle I've ever had. Perfect amount of sweetness and flavor. Next time I will follow the suggestion of spreading them out in a warmed oven on a cookie sheet as opposed to stacking them on a plate because I think it deflated them a bit. My husband and son loved them!! Will make these again and again.

by Lupini, 10/9/2011Great recipe. Of course I have to modify it a little...... I used whole grain spelt flour for 6 of the 9oz flour. I just can't do all white flour in anything anymore - no texture, no taste to me. I didn't need all the soured milk, just 2cups was plenty. Then I also added a few tablespoons of ground flax seed to pump up the nutritional content. I love the roasted hazelnut taste and they were almost as good cold the next day. Whole grains really help maintain texture and since there's only two of us it's nice if things last for a couple of future snackings. Since I'm watching calories I just have them plain or with a dusting of cinnamon and icing sugar. The boyfriend has the syrup!

by CookinginDallas, 1/11/2010What a great breakfast on a cold winter morning! These are five-star with a caveat (or two): Reduce the sugar to 2 tablespoons and leave out the vanilla. Otherwise the waffles taste more like muffins than waffles. Also, I found that I got much better volume and crispiness by beating at least two of the egg whites until they reached the stiff peak stage.
Otherwise, these will be a Christmas breakfast tradition for years to come. Everyone cannot wait until next year to have them again. They were such a hit for Christmas Day that we also used these for a New Year's Day brunch--another traditional event--where they will also become part of the tradition. For that, though, I am going to have to buy a second waffle iron!
The Honey Preserved Clementines from the Nov. '09 issue of FC (http://www.finecooking.com/recipes/honey-preserved-clementines.aspx) make a truly exquisite topping.